Mark Cuban shares his insights regarding the NBA’s declining ratings. The Dallas Mavericks minority owner believes the metrics used in measuring the league’s rates focus on traditional media only, which limits digital platforms where Cuban believes most people are watching the games.
Cuban finally disclosed his candid reaction regarding the NBA’s issue during his Monday crowd appearance in Las Vegas.
The former Mavericks head owner believes the league should focus on combining traditional and digital viewerships and boost their online algorithm by giving younger viewers more of the games’ highlights.
“I have a 15 year-old son, and he doesn’t watch the whole game,” Cuban told AOL. “He watches highlights over and over. What did Luka (Doncic) do? What did Kyrie (Irving) do? What did Steph (Curry) do? What did Dereck Lively do? He’ll just watch and it’s just tied to the algorithms in our social media, whether it’s YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky,” Cuban said.
The NBA’s problems stemmed last November when ESPN disclosed the league’s ratings were down by 28%, despite its efforts to make the games available for more people.
The league made a significant move this offseason by securing a $76 billion deal with media outlets such as Disney and Amazon, only to see the gamble worsen as the games continue.
According to ESPN, the league’s first-month ratings this season are down 7% compared to what it measured during the 2016-17 stint.
Despite the viewership problem, the NBA managed to redeem itself by gathering the most-watched Christmas games in five years, with ratings up by 84% than last year.
Many gave reasons for the league’s viewership problems, bringing the frequent use of three-pointers and the lack of physicality as the significant reasons. Nevertheless, the NBA remains one of the most popular leagues globally, attracting prospects and fans.
Mark Cuban shares real reason for selling Mavericks ownership
Mark Cuban led the Dallas Mavericks for 23 years, culminating in their first championship in 2011. In an interview at GQ, Cuban revealed that he stepped down from owning the Mavericks to focus on his personal life.
Cuban also brought up how owning a team could add expectations to his children, and he isn’t willing to deal with a vast problem soon.
“In a social media world today, the critics of the ownership of any professional sports team can be brutal. I don’t want my kids potentially feeling the pressure to walk into my spot as owner and try to deal with that,” Mark Cuban said.
Mark Cuban is a devoted father who tends to his three children. Throughout his career, he emphasized that he didn’t want to turn his loved ones into overindulged individuals. As Cuban steps down from overseeing the Mavericks, he’ll have more time to guide his children and watch them succeed in their careers soon.
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